Another month down.  Time just seems to fly these days.  It doesn’t help that I keep wishing for the cold weather and winter darkness to just go away already.  But February was a good month.  There were a lot of things I loved this month.

I’ve always loved the Moleskine notebooks because of their durability and high-quality paper but this month they really served a practical use for me.  I bought a 5X8 soft cover gridded notebook and have been using it as my books of lists this month.  I’ve put everything in there from shopping lists to spring cleaning lists to general to-do’s and I’ve found that it really helps with my organization.  Because of the grids, I have less of a tendency to doodle notes around the edges, which always makes for a confusing list.  And because of the durability of the notebook, I can toss it in my purse without having to worry about pages ripping out or getting all wrinkled (I’m a little OCD about my office products!).  Regardless, having a large, thick quality notebook available for all of my lists really makes getting things done more organized and just generally nicer.

Up until this month, I was buying all of the books I wanted to read.  I love the smell and feel of a fresh paperback (I generally prefer them to hardcover).  But that was getting to be expensive as I’ve found myself reading a tons more than usual lately.  And then one day, I was flipping through my keys and came across my Charleston County Library card, which I had forgotten I applied for, and there was the solution.  I had one right around the corner from me so I went there and immediately borrowed six of the books that have been sitting on my Good Reads list for months and now I’ve got tons of stories to keep me occupied well into the summer.  Free entertainment = my kind of fun!

This is another one of those things that I’m super late to the party on.  I’ve always loved the episodes of The Office that I’ve seen but I hadn’t watched it from the very beginning.  Well, that changed this month when Steve and I added Seasons 1-4 to our Netflix instant watch queue and then spent two weeks streaming them through the XBox (which gets an honorable mention as one of the GREATEST.IDEAS.EVER!).  The Office is everything I already knew it was and then some.  I should have listened to everyone earlier.  I’m just sad now that we’ve finished and have to wait for new episodes on Thursday night.  It is so much easier and more fun to watch them all together and not have to wait.

I know I did both shampoo and Bath and Body Works last month but I have to tell you about the shampoo and conditioner I bought.  I was browsing the store about the first of the month and I saw their hair care was on sale, 2 for $5 which combined was like 1/8 of what I had paid for that Redken stuff.  Anyway, I was desperate for some sort of summer pick me up and I have LOVED Coconut Lime Verbena since I first smelled it (it is literally my favorite scent in the whole store and is like summer in a bottle), so I picked up the shampoo and conditioner.  And wow, did I fall in love!  My hair has never felt softer or more healthy, even with the Redken stuff.  What I like about this shampoo is that my hair feels healthy without feeling over-dry, which was the problem I had with the Redken stuff.  I still use both this and Redken but I alternate and once I’m done with the Redken, I will most likely buy this exclusively.  It is also one of the first volumizing conditioners I have ever used that has actually done just that – I dried my hair this evening and the life and bounce in it was phenomenal.  Aside from all that, combining the shampoo and conditioner with the shower gel really gives you a summery, tropical boost when you need a bit of a pick-me-up in the winter.

This was another Bath and Body Works impulse buy because they were on sale.  I tended to stay away from anything but the Signature collection in the store but I wandered over to the Aromatherapy section and picked up this Sensuality Black Currant Vanilla Body Wash and Bath because I was looking for a new bubble bath scent.  One sniff and I was sold – this is an intoxicating combination of vanilla and muskiness that reminds me of the Far East.  But it’s not overwhelming, rather warm and inviting, and it certainly does make the bath more enjoyable.  I didn’t really notice if it made me feel “sexy” and “in the mood” but it’s certainly one of those products I’d go to if I was getting ready for a date or doing a weekend beauty routine.  As a matter of fact, I just bought the luxury bubble bath in the same scent and can’t wait to try it (the girl at the store said it leaves your skin feeling super soft, so we’ll see!).

Like I need another show to get hooked on.  I caught a few episodes of Big Love and I need more.  The storylines are fabulous and compelling, the acting is superb (with the exception of Bill Paxton who seems to embody the same  terse, emotionless gaze no matter what he’s trying to convey) and the show is just all-around entertaining.  I’m fascinated by the relationship between Nikki, Margene and Barb (the three wives) and I love watching how the three of them work through the nuances of their daily lives.  To be completely honest, aside from the whole having to share my significant other thing, I’d be totally down with that.  It’d be a great help with keeping up the house and like having built in friends/sisters to turn to.  It would also probably be a bitch because there are times I don’t even like myself.  Don’t know how’d I’d be able to handle two other women in the house!

I taught myself to knit this month and I was immediately hooked.  It took awhile to get the hang of it and I’m still stumbling through, just practicing the knit and purl stitches.  I can do a pretty decent stockinette and can cast on and bind off rather easily.  I have yet to make anything useful, but just being able to sit and knit something is relaxing and gives me something to do with my hands while watching TV or a movie without Steve thinking that I’m not watching the TV (if I’m trying to multi-task by being on the computer and watching a show, he says I can’t do both at once and wants to play video games or something).  Hopefully, this month, I’ll be able to make something useful but regardless, I’m proud because I’ve taught myself how to do something simple and useful and fun!

And that’s pretty much it.  February was a busy month for hobbies and entertainment so I definitely spent a lot of time just enjoying leisurely activities.  Now I have another 31 days of finding new things to fall in love with!